Method and means for rectifying lubricating oil



c. L. STOKES METHOD AND MEANS FOR RECTIFYING LUBRICATING OIL Filed Aug- 23. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 I -INVENT0R.

March 12, 1929. c. 1.. STOKES 5,317

METHOD AND MEANS FOR RECTIFYING LUBRICATING OIL Filed Aug. 23. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

CHARLES L. STOKES, or'Los AnGnLEs, oarirronnra.

METHOD ANT? MEANS FOR BECTJJYING LUBEICATII'IG OIL.

Application, filed August 23, .1926. Serial No. 131,013.

W invention relates to improvements in i g methods and apparatus for maintaining the amount of dilution in lubricati gines, at a predetermined quantity, or percentage.

The principal object of my invention it to provide a method of rectifying whereby such operation may be controlled by the pressure, and/or temperature, of the lubricating oil used in an internal combustion engine.

Another object of my inventionis to provide a clarified andrectilied lubricating oil for reuse in an internal. combustion engine. Another object of my invention is to PTO".

vide an apparatus for rectifying wherein film distillation shall be effective. Another object of my invention 18 to prevent cracking of the lubricating oil while- 5 is a vertical cross-section of a medi fication.

Fig. 6 is a view,..partly in section, of a .umdilieation adapted for use with the struc Lures shown in Figs. 2 or 3. Y

The usual construction of an internal combustion engine 1 includes an intake manifold .2, a carburetor 3 having a throttle 3, an air inlet 4 attached to manifold 2, an exhaust pipe 5, an oil pump 6 driven from the engine crank shaft, an oil sump or reservoir 7, a feed pipe 8 leading from the sump 7 to pump 6 and a supply pipe 9 leading from the pump 6 to desired portions of engine 1 for lubricating the same either by the splash or pressure systems. The sump 7 is connected openly to the engine crank case which is open to atmosphere and contains lubrirating oil to the level X According to my invention I take a portion of the oil being circulated through the engine by pump 6 and bypass the same through a pipe 10, and filter 11 to the in sq oil uscd in internal combustion en-.

terior of a rectifying device 12 where the oil is separated from desired fractions by regulated heat applied through a pipe 13 from exhaust pipe 5 and the rectified oil is returned through pipe 14- to the sump 7. The vaporized undesired fractions are removed. from rectifier 12 through a pipe 15 to the air intake l of carburetor The waste exhaust gases, after-passing through pipe 13 and imparting their heat to the oil being forced through rectifier 12,- are discharged to atmosphere, or other suitable place, through a discharge pipe 16. The rectified oil may be cooled onits passage to sump 7 by the action of the cooling fins 17, or in any other desired manner, such as a cooling jacket on manifold '2. Thus the rectifier as a whole comprises a heated zone." 2

' Referrii 1.2 comprises an outer shell'18, an intermediate shell '19 and an inner shell 2O, said shells 18 and 19 being placed and suitably supported, substantially concentrically, I on a base 21 held thereon byscrews 22 andbeing suitably gasketed to prevent loss or (leaks.

The intermediate shell 19 has a depressed central portion 22' substantially concentric with pipe 13 and at one end of the depression is suitably bolted a. flexible metaldiaphragm, or bellows, 23, which diaphragm supports a head 24 wherein is adapted to be threaded a stem 25 holding a valve 26 adjustable with respect to 25 by a locknut 27. Valve 26 may have a plurality of holes 28 therethrough and the same slides freely in depression 22, Whilesubstantially closing pipe 13 on occasions;

The head 2-1 also supports a ball and'socket joint 29 wherefrom a valve 30 is attached adapted to close a port 31 placed in the.

lower portion of shell 20. The upper portion of shell 20 is made to provide an annular space 32 of predeterminedWidth for discharge of oil. on the inner face of shell 19 whereby a film flow is inaugurated.

Shell. 20 is held concentric with shell 19 by means of the spacing blocks 33 and 34k and is' held off base 21 by the oil feed pipe 10 which passes through-base 21 and may be lockedtherein by a stnlfing box nut 35. The discharge pipe 14: also extends through base 21 a predetermined distance for the purpose of forming a filter trap for sediment interiorly of shell 19. The base 21 g to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the rectifier supports a bi-metal thermostat 36 fastened thereto at one end, the other end receiving the stem 37 of the'valve 30 which may be suitably held therein by alock-nut 38. A spring 39 surrounds valve 30 and tends to prevent as shown in Fig. 1, wherein-pipe 13 is wide open for the passage of exhaust gases interiorly of shell 18 and exteriorly of shell 19, bellows 23 being fully expanded due to lack otoil under pressure therearound and thermostat 36 being contracted due to low temperature. Port 31 may thus be assumed to be wide open.

Upon starting engine 1, pump '6 withdraws lubricating oil, more or less viscous in character depending on its temperature,

from sump 'T-and forces the same'through pipe 9 to the engine bearings and through pipe 10, and filterll to theinterior otshell 20 wherein a comparatively large percent age escapes through port 31 and the balance is torced'through. the annular space 32,,flowin. down the inner wall of shell 19 in a film ot predetermined thickness.

At the same time heated exhaust Will bepassing through pipe,13 heating the upper end and sides of shell 19, a portion thereof passing through holes 28 and heatin the depression 22. Thus it will be seen that the depression 22 serves as preheater tor the lubricating oil priorto coming into contact with-the hottest portion at the upper end of shell 19 and.thereat'ter the heat will decrease towards the'discharge otthe gases topipe 16. r

In this manner a countercmfrent heat can change is a ranged and also there will be a large volume of heated gases. passing through pipe 13 while a small volume oflubricating oil] passes through the annular space 32 under low temperature conditions;

'Upon an increase of speed in engine 1, the oil pressure will build up in shell 20 thereby tending to compress bellows 23, close off pipe 13 and close valve 31 and this increase in oil pressure "with increase in oil 1 pump speed tends to reduce the amount by -passed through port 31 and increase the amount forced through space 32, but it should be noted that under certain temperature conditions this tendency to close variousports will be restrained by the action of spring 39 and thermostat 36 until such time as the body 01" oil passingthrough space 32 and comingin contact with thermostat36 will have attain ed a suficient temperature to permit the expansion or" thermostat 36 whereby pipe 13 and port 31 may be either partly or substantially closed.

At this period, which may be when the lubricating oil supplied through pipe .10

at the optimum crank-case engine operating temperatures, and high engine speed. there will be an increased volume of oil .torced through space 32 while a decreased volume of heating gases is permitted to heat the upper end of shell 19.

The temperature to which the lubricating oil should be heated in space 32 should not be over 550 F, otherwise destructive (llS-r tillation, or cracking of the lubricating oil may take place. V

When the lubricating oilhas been passed at the proper temperature through the space o'enerallv should not be more than a few 1,! 1/

inches of gasoline suction, being only suliicient to draw off vapors and not substantially impede the return flow of lubricating oil back through pipe 14 to the sump 7. At high speeds when throttle 3 is wide open the suction mightbecome excessive, but hole l1 is arranged to bleed. pipe 15 to atmosphere to prevent such excessive suction. The air passage 4 is chosen for the reason that in commercial carburetors under all conditions of engine operations the air entrance is generally a point of minimum suction and thus excessive suctions may be prevented interiorly 0t shell 19.

The degree of vacuum used may, of course, be still further lowered by the passage of air and/or oil vapors from the interior of sump 7 through pipe 14, it being understood that sump 7 is opened'to atmosphere in a well known manner through a breather and filler pipe (not shown). But introduction of air through pipe 1e is not generally to be desired because of the oxidation eiiecis thereof on the lubricating oil' being rectified.

Lubricating oil collects in-the bottom of shell '19 and overflows the top of pipe i l a d returns to sump 7,'being cooled on its way by cooling fins 17. It should be noticed that the capacity of, pipe 14.- is much greater than that of pipe 10 whereby no impediment to tlowmay be had.

If desired, in case of filter '11 becoming to a balanced throttle valve 44 by red 45' for controlling the passage of exhaust gases through pipe 13.

In the present instance an annular ring 46 is placed between shell 20 and shell 19 and a connection is made between the interior of shell 20 and shell 46 by a tube 47 having capillary characteristics. Pipe 10 is now closed except for an orifice of predetermined size compared with the bore of tube 47 The operation of this device is as follows hen engine 1 is still and cold, throttle 44 will be substantially closed as shown. Upon starting engine 1, it now being presumed that the oil pump 6 supplies oil through pipe 10 to orifice 48 at constant pressure, a predetermined amount of oil will pass through orifice 48 in a given unit of time thereby filling up the annular spaces between 19 andv 46 and 20 and 22 a predetermined amount. The resistance to escape of this oil is a'function of the viscosity of the oil flowing through tube 47 and is also a function of the pressure so that at low temperatures, and due to this resistance, high pressure will be exerted in shell 20 for compressing bellows 23 and opening throttle 44 wide. Thereafter as the heat imparted to shell 19 reduces the viscosity of the oil flowing through space 32 and tube 47, the pressure on bellows 28 will be reduced and close valve 44 proportionately for cutting off some of the heated waste gases.

Orifice 48 is of the thin plate type and its capacity throughput with relation to the capacity of tube 47 is such that the entrance of tube 47 is always submerged even in maxi mum operating temperatures.

It should be especially noted that the control of heat applied through pipe 13 to the lubricating oil passing through space 32 is governed by the increase or decrease in heat absorbed by said lubricating oil while such lubrifating oil is in the rectifying device itself. For instance, in 2 the tempera ture of such oil will be applied to thermostat 36 for controlling valve 26, while in Fig. 5 the rate of flow through tube 47 will be governed by the viscosity of the oil which in turn varies with changes of temperature.

While slight variations of the above occur, such as the eifect of the temperature of the crank-case oil being supplied through pipe 10, none the less, the greater controlling fect isobtained due'to the rise, or fall, in temperature of the lubricatingo l internally of the rectifying device 12.

It should be noted that the structure shown in Fig. 6, already described as being applicable to the structure of Fig. 2 is equally applicableto the structure shown in Fig.6, but it should also be noted that the rectifying device'may be used with, or-without,a filtering device depending on what lSfl desire-d.

The various controls are designedand co-' ordinated to effect a film distillation sub-' stantially at atmospheric pressure, the effect of a vacuum being negligible, wherein the rate of flow of the lubricating oil is properly co-ordinated with its temperature and pres sure to have a maximum temperature, below cracking, impressed on such oil for rectify-- ing the same and thereafter said temperature may be reduced and the viscosity of'the oil restored.

I claim p 1. In an internal combustion engine having an oil supply under pressure, means for rectifying said oil and means subjected to the oil pressure for controlling theirectifying means.

2; In an internal combustion engine hav ing an oil supply under pressure, means for rectifying said oil and means subjected to the oil pressure and temperature for controlling the rectifying means.

3. In an internal combustion engine having an oil supply under pressure, means for rectifying. said oil and means subjected to resultant forces derived from the oil pressure and temperature for controlling the rectifying means.

4. In an internal combustion engine having'an oil supply under pressure, means for rectifying said oil and'means comprising a movable member subjected to resultant forces derived from the oil pressure and temperature for controlling the, rectifying means.

5. In an internal combustion engine having an oil supply under pressure, the combination of means to heat the oil, a movable member subjected to oil pressure for controlling said heat and means for varying the effective result of said pressure on the movable member according to the temperature of the oil in the heating means.

6. In an internal combustion engine having an oil supply under pressure, the combination with a rectifying device of means for governing'it comprising a movable mem- 7. In an internal combustion engine thecombination of an exhaust manifold, a rectifying device heated from the exhaust mani fold, an oil pump, means to supply oil under haust manifold, a rectifying device heatedpressure from the pump to the rectifying device, and means to control the application of heat from the exhaust manifold to the rectifying device according to the oil pressure and temperature. a a

8.111 an internal combustion engine,the combination of an intake manifold, an exfrom the exhaust manifold, an oil pump, means to supply oil under pressure from the pump to the rectifying device, means to control the application of heat from the exhaust manifold to the rectifying device according to the oil pressure and temperature and means to convey Waste vapors from the rectifying device to the intake manifold.

9. In an internal combustion engine, the

, combination of an intake manifold, an exhaust manifold, a rectifying device heatedfrom the exhaust manifold, an oil pump, means to supply 011 under pressure from the pump tothe rectifyinq device, means to con trol the application of heat from the exhaust manifold to the rectifying device according to the, oil pressure and temperature and means to convey Waste vapors from the rectifying device to the intake manifold at a point of minimum suction,

10. The process of rectifying oil Which consists in circulating the same under pressure through a heated zone and controlling the application ofheat in accordance With the pressure of the oil Within said zone.

11. The process of rectifying voil ,Which consists in circulating the same through a heated zone and controlling the application of heat in accordance with the temperature and pressure of the oil Within said zone.

Signed at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, this 18th day of August A; D. 1926.

CHARLES L, STOKES. 

